Police have confirmed that at least 31 people have been killed after a gunman opened fire at a pre-school child daycare center in Thailand.
As reported by BBC News, the attack took place in Nong Bua Lamphu, located in the north-east of the country, with the gunman believed to be a former police officer.
Both children and adults are among the dead, police say, with officer Nong Bua Lamphu reportedly telling AFP that 23 children have been killed. Two teachers and one police officer are also reportedly among the fatalities.
The former cop had reportedly recently been dismissed from his job and both shot and stabbed his victims. Authorities have said that the man was last seen driving a white four-door Toyota pick-up truck with Bangkok registration plates.
After multiple reports stated that a manhunt had ensued under the order of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, The Independent and ABC News are now reporting that Thai media outlets say the gunman has taken his own life.
No motive for the attack has been given.
Per The Independent, a government spokesperson has said: "The prime minister has expressed his condolences on the shooting incident which resulted in 30 deaths."
Reports stress how mass shootings in the country are rare, with the last notable instance being in 2020 when a soldier killed 21 people in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.
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